Pro Modified 
Review Sweden Internationals
Last season Michael Gullqvist added to his honours and accolades by becoming the first Pro Mod racer not only to win the FIA European Championship a second time, but to secure the title without winning a race. That will not happen this year.. 
Gullqvist and his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro swept the board at Tierp Arena’s Sweden Internationals (FIA Round 2), qualifying low, setting Low ET and Top Speed of the Meet and vanquishing all opposition to take the trophy, with a new European ET record into the bargain.

The new European mark (5.949sec) has narrowed the gap on Gullqvist’s personal-best ET in Europe (5.911, Alastaro 2010, but not backed up) but falls still some way short of his US best (5.827, Gainesville 2010). He holds the Euro speed record as well, 245.76mph/395.52km/h, also set at Alastaro 2010.

There were others involved here at Tierp, by the way. Twenty-five of them trailed Gullqvist on the qualifying sheet, some with personal-best times and speeds of their own to celebrate (see the list below). Most of their vehicles make some concession to sleekness, but not Freddy Fagerström’s. Every two or three seasons, the venerable Chevy pickup shaves a fresh tenth off its best elapsed time. This weekend it dipped for the first time into the 6.0’s, clocking 6.049 to qualify third, just a thousandth behind Urban Johansson’s Corvette with a new PB of its own. The truck was gone from competition in the first round, slipping to defeat with a strained motor against Robert Joosten.
Another of similar ilk is Niclas Andersson, whose 1951 Chevrolet Business Coupe also bucks the trend towards late-1960s muscle cars. No beauty, this “character” car’s utilitarian black body looks appropriately business-like. It can certainly deliver the goods. Qualified only 11th (6.204), and not quite matching the 6.025sec best he set on this track last year, Andersson nevertheless dipped twice into the 6.0’s en route to a final-round appearance against the all-conquering Gullqvist, but was unable to sustain a decent challenge once he got there.

As at Santa Pod’s ‘The Main Event’ (FIA Round 1) earlier this month, rain intervened to wash away the second day’s qualifying. With the benefit of two more sessions, known hitters such as Mikael Lindahl, Patrick Wikström and Bert-Ove Olofsson might have made it into the field. Marco Maurischat’s 6.607 bump spot after just two shots hinted at what might have been had Saturday stayed dry.

Bruno Bader was the object of much attention. The Swiss racer had scooped a near-maximum haul of points from winning The Main Event in the absence of all but one Scandinavian opponent. Having finished second to Gullqvist in last year’s FIA Championship, could Bader defend his early lead against the chasing pack as the 2012 season wore on? The early omens looked promising as the ever-consistent Bader clocked a pair of 6.1’s to qualify fifth, but he was lucky to survive round one, shaking to a 7sec win against Anders Nilsson’s redlight 6.42, before succumbing to redlight fever himself against Johan Lindberg in round two. Bader still leads the championship, but only by 51 points. In the wake of another Gullqvist tour de force, Bader could slip back into the pack himself, no longer chased but chasing.


Bruno Bader

                            


Winner Michael Gullqvist (right) with runner-up Niclas Andersson


Micke Gullqvist was the only driver in the 5.90´s during qualifications

Low Elapsed Time of the Event:  5.949sec. – Michael Gullqvist (European record)
Top Speed of the Event:  393.87km/h / 244.74mph – Michael Gullqvist


 Pro Modified Qualifications
RESULTS After 2 sessions. Q3 + Q4 (Sat.16.06.12) rained off.


                                                                   ET        MPH     Km/H      Best Km/h

1.      Michael Gullqvist          SWE       5.949    244.74    393.87             
2.      Urban Johansson         SWE       6.048    227.79    366.60    373.19
3.      Fredrik Fagerström      SWE         6.049    232.04    373.44              
4.      Johan Lindberg            SWE         6.130    242.27    389.89              
 5.      Bruno Bader                 SUI          6.137    228.26    367.35              
6.      Jan Gunnarsson           SWE        6.154    234.48    377.36              
7.      Ola Dahlblom                SWE        6.178    230.29    370.62    371.90
8.      Martin Lundkvist           SWE        6.188    240.53    387.10              
9.      Marc Meihuizen            NED         6.199    233.18    375.26               
10.     Paul ‘Tami’ Brander       FIN          6.202    230.45    370.88              
11.    Niclas Andersson         SWE        6.204    215.09    346.15              
12.    Anders Nilsson             SWE        6.305    226.87    365.11              
13.    Mats Eriksson               SWE        6.325    234.48    377.36              
14.    Robert Joosten            NED         6.333    229.04    368.60              
15.    Fredrik Lundh               SWE        6.452    218.03    350.88              
16.    Marco Maurischat         GER         6.607    215.92    347.49                

         Alternates:

17.    Mattias Wulcan             SWE        6.623    214.13    344.61              
18.    Mikael Lindahl               SWE        6.679    160.24    257.88              
19.    Patrick Wikström          SWE        6.729    221.48    356.44                
20.    David Vegter                NED         6.751    211.56    340.48              
21.    Micke Johansson          SWE        6.841    183.16    294.76              
22.    Terje Håkonsen            NOR         6.989    138.31    222.59              
23.    Mats Wicktor                SWE        7.565    186.93    300.84              
24.    Johan Samuelsson       SWE        8.462    112.33    180.78              
25.    Bert-Ove Olofsson        SWE      10.230      83.26    134.00              
26.    Stefan Holmberg          SWE      14.113      66.28    106.66                

         No time registered:
         Jari Parén                     FIN

         Withdrawn entries:

         Håkan Nilsson              SWE
         Jöran Persåker             SWE

Eliminations: Link to Elimination ladder

Round 1:

Martin Lundkvist 6.247sec, 385.16km/h-239.33mph def. Marc Meihuizen 6.232, 374.74-232.85

Johan Lindberg 6.041, 389.33-241.92 def. Mats Eriksson 6.516, 373.19-231.89

Bruno Bader 7.687, 329.87-204.97 def. Anders Nilsson 6.423, 368.10-228.73 DQ R/L

Urban Johansson 6.260, 370.62-230.29 def. Fredrik Lundh 6.627, 344.83-214.27

Ola Dahlblom 6.079, 376.83-234.15 def. ALT.Mattias Wulcan 10.304, 137.47-85.42

Robert Joosten 6.268, 373.96-232.37 def. Fredrik Fagerström 9.714, 146.42-90.98

Niclas Andersson 6.074, 372.67-231.57 def. Jan Gunnarsson 7.113, 266.54-165.62

Michael Gullqvist 6.000, 392.16-243.68 def. Marco Maurischat 6.417, 366.35-227.64

 
Round 2:

Michael Gullqvist 6.027, 392.44-243.85 def. Martin Lundkvist 6.400, 363.39-225.80

Johan Lindberg 6.039, 359.04-223.10 def. Bruno Bader 6.147, 367.10-228.11 DQ R/L

Urban Johansson 6.215, no speed def. Ola Dahlblom shut off

Niclas Andersson 6.068, 372.93-231.73 def. Robert Joosten 6.211, 376.83-234.15

 

Semi-final:

Michael Gullqvist 5.988, 393.87-244.74 def. Johan Lindberg 8.452, 176.76-109.83

Niclas Andersson 10.388, 133.53-82.97 def. Urban Johansson no show

 
Final:

Michael Gullqvist 6.013, 391.02-242.97 def. Niclas Andersson 9.204, 149.75-93.05
 

Personal-best performances set during event:

 

                                            ET           MPH     Km/H

Paul ‘Tami’ Brander          6.202                 -              -

Ola Dahlblom                   6.079       234.15    376.83

Fredrik Fagerström         6.049                 -              -

Stefan Holmberg           14.113         66.28    106.66

Micke Johansson             6.841       183.16    294.76

Urban Johansson            6.048                 -              -

Robert Joosten                       -       234.15    376.83

Fredrik Lundh                  6.452       218.03    350.88

Martin Lundkvist                     -       240.53    387.10

Anders Nilsson                6.305       228.73    368.10

Mats Eriksson - first race with the new paint scheme by Ray Hill


Bert-Ove Olofsson had more success at Santa Pod than at Tierp Arena. Outside the ladder


Fredrik Lundh is one of the drivers that double in Pro Modified and the Top Doorslammer class


David Vegter

Text: Robin Jackson 
Photos: Remco Scheelings 
Results data from www.dragracing.eu

This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Newsletter #7/2012

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